The Bellanti estate was never truly quiet, not with soldiers patrolling the grounds and servants moving through its many wings. But that night, the silence was unnatural. It pressed down on the hallways, thick and suffocating, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath.

And I couldn’t breathe either.

“Vanessa?” My voice cracked as I tore through the corridor, pushing open doors with shaking hands. Her little bed was empty. Her stuffed rabbit lay on the floor, its ear bent back. ...